1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mailbox support systems generally, and more particularly, to a mailbox support system that is capable of withstanding blows to the mailbox without appreciable damage to the mailbox.
2. Background Art
Mailboxes of the type that are located near a roadway sustain damage from a variety of sources. Most notably, they sustain damage from vandalism, typically from a baseball bat wielded from a moving vehicle, or they sustain damage from a snowplow throwing snow and ice and hitting the mailbox. In either case, the damaging blow usually comes from the right to the left when facing the opening of the mailbox. When the mailbox is rigidly mounted to the post, the mailbox is more likely to experience permanent and extensive damage from denting if the mailbox is hit.
Some attempts to solve this problem are:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,997, issued Oct. 29, 1968, to Wood et al., and titled ROTABLE MAIL BOX, discloses a spring-mounted mailbox that can be rotated so that it assumes a mail-receiving position and can be rotated 180 degrees to a mail-discharging position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,150, issued Aug. 12, 1975, to Racquet, and titled SELF-RIGHTING MAILBOX SUPPORT, discloses a mailbox support that has a coil spring disposed in a vertical member to which the mailbox is horizontally attached. The coil spring returns the mailbox to its normal position after it has been hit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,072, issued Oct. 18, 1994, to Thomas, and titled MAILBOX MOUNTING DEVICE TO ABSORB LATERAL IMPACT, discloses a mailbox that is slidably mounted on nails which are enclosed by springs. When the mailbox is hit by a moving object, the mailbox slides and is returned to its normal position by means of the springs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,286, issued Oct. 17, 1995, to Paschal, and titled ROTATABLE MAILBOX MOUNTING ASSEMBLY, discloses a mailbox support system which allows the mailbox to be rotated 360 degrees in either direction. The support consists of a spring and detent balls. The intent of the device is to allow one to rotate the mailbox 180 degrees, thus obviating the need to enter to road on which the mailbox is mounted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,343, issued Apr. 22, 1997, to Morton, and titled MAIL BOX MOUNTING DEVICE, discloses a mailbox support that has a lower member that is attached to the post of the mailbox. An upper member is rotatably attached to the lower member so that the upper member can be rotated such that mail can be retrieved from other than the roadway. A spring and detents are provided to return the mailbox to any desired position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,989, issued Dec. 23, 1997, to Guthrie, and titled MAILBOX MOUNTING DEVICE WHICH RETURNS TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION AFTER SIDE IMPACT, discloses a mailbox mounting which includes a rotatable upper member mounted on a fixed lower member. The upper member is prevented from moving more that 90 degrees with respect to the lower member by two pins. The upper member is returned to its original position by means of two springs.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a mailbox support system that eliminates or reduces damage from intentional or unintentional blows to the mailbox.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a mailbox support system that permits the mailbox to rotate horizontally sideways, rotate upwards, and/or tilt horizontally counterclockwise when it receives a damaging blow.
It is an additional further object of the invention to provide such a mailbox support system that can easily be restored to its original position if rotated out of position.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a mailbox support system that is economically constructed of common materials using conventional techniques.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.